How often do toddler's get sick?!
Question: My daughter, allison is constantly sick. If its not one thing its the other. Colds, flu, infections, pink eye, trush. She always has something going on. I feel like I'm calling the doctor too often. She always makes it sound like "no big deal." Why is there always something wrong with her? How often did you kids get sick with something when they were 15 months? She's always on the small side. She's actually underweight. When shes sick she doesnt feel like eating and like i said, she's always sick. should i find a differnt doc for her???
Answers: My daughter, allison is constantly sick. If its not one thing its the other. Colds, flu, infections, pink eye, trush. She always has something going on. I feel like I'm calling the doctor too often. She always makes it sound like "no big deal." Why is there always something wrong with her? How often did you kids get sick with something when they were 15 months? She's always on the small side. She's actually underweight. When shes sick she doesnt feel like eating and like i said, she's always sick. should i find a differnt doc for her???
First of all, just because we have a license doesn't mean we are all good drivers, doctors are no different, if you doubt your doctors opinon or method of treatment, change.
Underweight can play a huge roll in her immune system. There is a pediasure on the market which will give your child nutrients she needs that she may not be getting to keep her immune system and weight at a stable average. You can add a shake to her lunch, or dinner, or even just a snack with a cookie.
In addition, I have to tell you, my daughter was 6.5lbs at birth and she is approaching age 13 this year,she has always been slightly smaller than the other kids in her class, and she is a slim size. As a toddler, she had pretty much everything including bells palsy which can be caused by something as minor as driving with a window open and the wind traveling down the ear canal. Her face was paralized on the one side... she got over that completely, thank goodness but we had to endure her with the flu, colds, pink eye as you mentioned etc.. then when she was about age 4 or 5, she landed with a strange stomach virus. 24 hour thing, but I thought what the heck am I doing wrong here?
I then realized, when I placed her in shopping carts, she would touch the cart, suck her thumb, or rub her eye, etc..
just 2 days prior to that stomach virus I remember her holding the handle of the shopping cart as she sat in the baby seat and caught her sucking her thumb thinking of the germs she is putting into her mouth.
It was when she got sick that I realized "this is the key right here" it begins with sanitation, the carts, public places such as touching items in stores, who touched it before you did? I remember some guy wiping his nose after sneezing, picking up the item and putting it back on the shelf!!
How gross!! And we touch it, take it home and put it in our cabinets or fridge?
So ever since then, I carry little packaged wipes, and I have them in my car, when we leave public places, even the mall, any public place, we get in the car and I pass a wipe to my husband and daughter. When we come home, we wash our hands with anti bacterial soap.
When I come home from the grocery store, I put all my groceries away, I wipe down the fridge handles, get a new paper towel and spray the table and counters, anywhere I had the groceries sitting.
Think about this, you touch all those groceries, and if you could see the germs sitting on your fridge handle, would you go in an grab the bread and touch the cold cuts knowing you are contaminating all your food you are about to eat? It takes 2 minutes or less to spray the door handles of the fridge. One small step in prevention.
Hand washing, using wipes has greatly reduced illness in our home. The only thing my daughter seems to get now days are a basic cold once in a while "from school I am sure" and also strep throat. She puts a wipe in her pocket and uses it before she eats lunch, she knows to wash her hands after using the bathroom in school.
One example of how I know this is a great method of prevention, is that she skipped taking a wipe for 2 days to school, she ended up with a nasty viral cold, when I asked if she had been using the wipes every day, she said "well, no, I forgot to take them with me one or two days in a row"
coincidental? Don't think so. One small slip up is all it takes.
now with staff going around, hepititis, menengitis, flu, etc... going around these days you can never be too careful.
People would think you are fanatic? maybe so, but at least we are healthy fanatics!!
Teach her hand washing, get it into her daily routine, you will thank yourself and so will she!!
Hugs
Karen
let her get sick to build up immune system
My Dr told me that toddlers in daycare would likely be sick 10 times a year. It is normal. She is building her immune system up with every virus that she fights off. At least when she gets into kindergarten there won't be many viruses that she doesn't already have immunity to.